348 CHEMICAL DISCOVERY AND INVENTION 



By whichever method the fat is charged the perfume is ex- 

 tracted from it by shaking it with strong alcohol. The extract 

 thus obtained is superior to that which is prepared by the hot 

 maceration method previously described. 



These processes are carried on in the south of France, especially 

 at Grasse, where large quantities of flowers are grown for treat- 

 ment in the factories of the neighbourhood. 



In the case of the orange, lemon, bergamot, and other fruits 

 of the orange tribe the essential oil resides in the rather large 

 visible receptacles on the surface of the fruit. These are easily 

 burst by pressure. If a bit of fresh orange peel is squeezed close 

 to a flame it will be noticed that the expelled juice takes fire. 

 The process employed in such case consists in pricking or 

 squeezing the rind of the fruit and collecting the oil which runs 

 out. 



The hand processes are still preferred, probably in part owing 

 to the difficulty of inducing the Italian peasantry to change their 

 customs. The pricking process employs a copper saucer-shaped 

 vessel, called an ecuelle, the inside of which is covered with 

 short spikes, while the oil as it exudes runs into a hollow handle 

 inserted into the middle of the cup. In the antiquated sponge 

 process, still largely used, the peel of the fruit is removed in thick 

 slices, which are then pressed flat by the fingers against a piece 

 of sponge. The oil glands are burst by the pressure and the 

 sponge soaks up the oil, together with some juice, which is then 

 squeezed out from time to time into a bowl, and finally filtered. 



The use of perfumes is a form of luxury which in ancient times 

 was probably limited to the rich, but in our own day they are 

 used more or less unconsciously by everybody. For while 

 nearly all women delight in perfumes, few men deliberately 

 scent their persons or their clothes, but they cannot escape the 

 use of soap, which in the form of toilet soap invariably contains 

 some kind of essential oil. The extent to which the use of soap 

 is increasing in all civilised countries may be judged from the 

 case of the United States. The census of production in that 

 country for 1904 showed a production of 605,000 tons, while in 

 1909 the output was 775,000 tons, an increase in five years of 

 27-4 per cent. Something of the same order has taken place in 

 the countries of Europe. 



The consumption of essential oils is, however, not the greatest 

 in the form of perfume. Immense quantities are used in making 



